Cupcake shot - whites not white?

[KristineEL]

Take it easy on me please I am new

I have been dabbling in food photography - unfortunately when I am home to take pictures it is night time to I am mostly using a Speedlite and Lowel Ego lite with foam board. That being said, I see a lot of photos posted where the whites of the photos are so crisp without losing the integrity of the other colors. I try adjusting levels and curves and perhaps I am doing it incorrectly? Maybe in this kind of light I need to use a tripod? Feedback? Thank you!

The first image is mine.

Shot with a Canon Rebel XT
1/800
f 1.8
50mm
ISO 400

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e5...copy_small.jpg

The second image is not mine, but how I want my photos to look, color-wise. I realize they were not taken under the same conditions most likely, but I know the first image can possibly be at least closer than I have gotten it.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e5...bc049cbd9e.jpg

[LeeR]

When you open curves you will see three little eyedroppers under the graph; one black, on gray and one white. Drag each over to the appropriate area and click on it; white to the whitest area, black to black, gray to something that should be neutral gray.Just doing the white and black should make a big difference, the gray is a bit trickier. Sometimes finding neutral gray can be a challange (though I had no trouble in your image, I just picked a shadow area of the white plate.) Scott Kelby tells about a nifty trick for finding neutral gray in one of his books. You can see it here. Working those three dropper should make a significant difference in your white balance.
If you are thinking of doing this professionally you may eventually want to invest in a color checker. They are expensive, but well worth the money.

[PaulE]

What I see in your photo is a shadow on the right hand side and the white on the icing on the left is washed out. When photographing food, jewellery or other small objects that constitutes 'product' shots it might be a good idea to invest in a photo light tent. You can buy one or build your own. Do a search for it or have a look at this site.
Photo Light Tent